Letter: I-69 alternatives offer more bang for the buck

New highways are really great as long as we can afford them, but Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama have absolutely bankrupted America, possibly beyond all hope.

Referring to your Dec. 29 pro-Interstate 69 editorial about the proposed part of I-69 that parallels the Mississippi River northeast through extreme western Tennessee: Yeah, it would be great to have it done, but it's way down on the list of importance, as far as the state of Tennessee is concerned.

Pretty much, the I-69 route simply retraces U.S. 51, which (yes, with a few towns in the way) is a four-lane, high-speed highway.

A reasonable and far lower-cost substitute (which would attract/accommodate more road commerce and cost many billions less) would be bypasses which would, if possible, follow the proposed I-69 route around Millington and Covington, along with some added overpasses in Munford, Atoka, Brighton, Ripley and Dyersburg.

This alternative offers far more economy and bang for the buck, but would likely be judged (with far less opportunity for crony capitalism, in particular) as absurd by our rulers.